CRUNCH - All things crunched.

 Swifties vs Ticketmaster  The un-suspecting Swifties had a moment as they experienced the destructive power of a live event and ticketing monopoly firsthand. Eager to procure pre-sale tickets for a live-event staged by one of the most loved and followed musicians of our time, Swifties were let down in millions.  Swifties are sharp, smart and skilled social media stalwarts. They are die-hard loyalists and amazingly knit together. They can hate as much as they can love.  Source:  https://www.reddit.com/r/TaylorSwift/comments/bhd5ko/taylor_swifties_4eva/ Endless e-queues that started at midnight, followed by  sky-high ticket prices for group bookings were just the beginning. Triggering a similar reaction, just like the one in America.  Swifties and the swift mindset are wreaking havoc against a lesser felt monopoly.  Legions  of new anti-monopolists are being birthed through out SE-Asia.    No creative work is complete. Creativit...

  THE NEW CODES OF INDIAN CRICKET  Has Indian cricket spotted the leader   Indian cricket has come a long way. From no style to its own style. A captain who fashioned hair and bikes. To another who batted with tattoos. There are few in between but ignore them as there is a new bruh with different brush. Hair, tattoos, cars, watches, controversies, he is into everything but not as much as he is into the game. A thinking player. A leader. An all-rounder.  The success of the national team and his franchise under him is no pushover. There is a no-nonsense approach to the game, but more importantly there are different approaches to wins, losses and players with egos. He seems to be looking for players with a big heart and has no time for prima-donnas. To many who don't know this individual personally, his approach may seem contradictory to his own personality and reputation. But this is a whole new era of team building and leadership. Watch this guy !    ...

So Bard is made available to simpletons. So I asked Bard to write a post on what happens if a smart person would use Linkedin and Airbnb as a merged platform ... draft 1 was crap ... here is draft 2 and draft 3 which were same as draft 1 LinkedIn and Airbnb are two of the most popular online platforms in the world. LinkedIn is a social networking site for professionals, while Airbnb is a home-sharing platform. While these two platforms may seem unrelated at first, there are actually a number of ways that they can be combined to create new and innovative experiences. One way to combine LinkedIn and Airbnb is to use LinkedIn to find potential hosts for your Airbnb listing. When you're looking for a place to stay, it's always a good idea to choose a host who is trustworthy and reliable. LinkedIn can be a great way to vet potential hosts, as you can see their work history, education, and other professional information. This information can give you a good sense of who the host i...

The Truth About Sneakers  Right. The 'AIR' film is out. The verdict is cold.  Two friends came together and in true bonhomie decided to make a film about the most popular shoe in the world. They had fun. they built anticipation or should we use the word 'hype'. But.  The verdict is cold.      Critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes:  A fact-based drama that no one will dunk on.    What really happened ?  Nothing. Good film, Great shoe ... all AIR. So was that a film for sneaker heads or for basketball enthusiasts or Jordan fans.  Again. Good film, Great shoe ... all AIR.   The film has made one thing clear, sneakers and shoes are not the same.  The marketing maybe, the designing, the naming, the branding and the story-making is something else and someone else. when a shoe stands out beyond the marketing it becomes a sneaker. So the next time you see an  Air  Jordan 1  Retro  Low  OG SP...

  Three days into this world cup and it is turning out to be quite a unique one. From the stadias, to the weather and the tech being deployed during the matches the experience of consuming these games are truly unique. With sell out crowds and full-blown fan parks football is well and truly gaining the attention that the most popular sport in the world deserves.  Apart from the innovation,  there is an added extra sensationalism at play as well. Englands arm band, Germany's covered mouth, BBC's coverage of this world cup and then Saudi and Japan. Sport is powerful and athletes are adored but when players are forced to comply with social issues, the paradigm of hero worship shifts. Heroes fall and results gain precedence. Just because this world cup is being played in 2 spheres - the game and the game of the game, iconic players tend to lose fandom. Hence the fans who once waited for glimpse of Messi are now mocking with the line .... Where is messi ?  Bottom line don...

  Recently there is a new wave of realizations. Info-leaks, confessions, lay-offs, resignations, protests and disclosures are revealing the hidden workings of previously sacrosanct establishments. Notions once held  as privilege now seem less robust and more fragile. Powerhouses are being razed to ground by lesser popular Davids.  A new world order is emerging. From the field of sports to leading stock markets there is movement. The song 'winds of change' are blowing again. This time Asia is in focus. Asians are in focus. More so, the change is about Asians are dealing with reality and making the most of opportunity. On all fronts Asia is in the game and Asia is now taking the shots. In many areas Asia is calling the shots.  What does this mean for brands?  Now that the cages have been broken and the tigers are out, is it time to pursue humanistic ideals than historical ones. Do brands now have to reconfigure their world view around current affairs than history....

People love sports because they produce outcomes. Agree, the semifinal didn't follow the script most Indians wished to witness. As usual there is an outpouring of anger directed towards the players. This is a colossal disappointment, more so because it denies Indian crowds the mouth-watering prospect of witnessing another contest with the neighbors. There is an obvious outcry. Our neighbors are in the final and we are not. This is the gully cricket mentality that drives Indian viewers into a stadium. Obviously, the disappointment must be vented.   If not the players and who's to be blamed … is it the captain, coach, the wisdom of the selection committee or is it the system?  Over the years Indian cricket has assumed industrial proportions and the stakes have been raised by a few billion dollars. Indian cricket has seen capital inflow from all kinds of investors. From highly illegal to the blindly ambitious. Everyone from the biggest sports betting platforms to a humble...

  GenZ Vie. Monsters or Masters? Often in marketing, we experience a fear of unknown. GenZ is a bit of the unknown. Especially when it comes to personal choices. Topics like connection, relationships, dating, meeting up & hooking up. For millennial or boomer marketing professionals in Vietnam, it is often confounding to distinguish one from the other, hence we tend to perceive this target as a mystery. Some people so significantly divergent that it begins to attain monstrous proportions. GENZILLA is one such popular and oft repeated term in a multitude of insight reports trying to decode GenZ.  Terms like this tend to polarize our view and forces us to imagine them as a different species. It also fails us at an intellectual level and makes it difficult to fathom the human within this group of people. Often treating them as a bunch of colorful cohorts, dressed in monochromatic funk, sheltered under their bucket hats, floating whimsically in those baggy flannels – almost hal...

Debates shape interesting perspectives.  Especially with smart strategists getting high on strategy and some talented onlookers.  Sharing some excerpts from some experts ...  Marketing maestro ... "recently there have been few arguments on best approaches to marketing and media strategy. one phrase/term that is least popular these days is 'spray n' pray'..."  Strategist A ... proclaims ... vehemently !  In the age of agile marketing ... 'spray n pray' is old school and outdated.  A juvenile/novice way of marketing.  Junior marketers do that !   Strategist B steps in ... 'pray n spray' is not outdated it is an evolution.   She explains ... convincingly !  The term is coined from an earlier approach known as 'broadcasting' whats interesting is broadcasting has its roots in farming ( yes agriculture).  Farmers used to throw (spray) seeds into the soil (after tilling) hoping (pray)for a good harvest.  It has worked for ce...

  WITH BRIDGES WE RISE  Countries are obsessed with construction.  Every economic success story begins with an ambitious construction project.  Especially the high and the mighty types.   Take for examples cities like Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.  All went through a major real estate boom en-route to financial supremacy. And almost all cities across the world has one towering jewel in the construction crown.  So why is a high rise more important than a low rise ? As kids we learn to look up into the sky  The day sky seemed limitless and the night sky is filled with stars. It appeals to the inner child wanting to grow up. It forces us to dream.  Somehow, we believe that we progress if we can soar high in the sky.  For us, growth has become a vertical idea.  We have to rise above the messy ground reality level to a place that is higher up. We also define ambition in terms of height.  While real estate boom...

In 2020 the screens are abuzz.  People stayed in and they stared at screens … endlessly.  Watching became the new everything.  With watery eyes, people soaked in as much newness as possible.  But something sparkling seems to be the flavor of this month.  An alternate musical form & a global number one web-series is trending. Say yay … for Rap Viet & Emily in Paris ! So why are RV & EIP generating all this buzz.  The answer is in the type of story these shows are telling.  Both plots are QUESTS. The journey of a character pursuing a goal. The plot focuses on the journey and not the destination. Hence the QUEST is ...  Will RAP music make the journey from underground to mainstream ?  Can a bright eyed hopeful , find acceptance  (in the romantic capital of the world)?   The QUEST becomes interesting when the journey becomes interesting.  Both shows deal with the edge of acceptance and rejection.  Characters ma...

#cwg, #CWG2018. #CWGgoldcoast games find playgrounds. a few months ago the commonwealth started and concluded on aussie playgrounds with great aplomb. the entire concept of commonwealth is quite an intriguing construction. a common-ground formed for the 54 countries that were previously part of an empire. the idea of all these nations sharing something in common in todays context is highly unlikely. Even if there is something in common, it is desire to triumph over the other. neverthless, the games provide a competitive playground. with some of the best talents on-show, this is no ordinary match-up.  for some of the countries sport is a livelihood, for some it is an avenue for immigration, for the rest it is just another contest. india seems to have taken to this event with purpose, intent, rigour, planning and great strategy. where india of today is visibly unique from the india of the past is the role sportspeople are playing in sports administration. across key discipli...

the insight Aggasi used to beat Becker A player many referred to as the punk, reveals one greatest examples of sharp insight used in sport. the insight comes from a brilliant observation and intuition. But the strategy to use it at most crucial moments of the match is the decisive factor between winning and losing.  in strategy, the factor of concealment is often overlooked. strategy is put on the wall, written on post its and never protected as much as it should. what teams must learn is to overcome the temptation to over use ideas too often and give away the game plan  Advertising and brands are often guilty over-exposure and thereby surrendering the competitive advantage. Sport, just like business, is all about winning and bringing the best game to the court when it really counts.      

IN YOUTH WE HOPE & IN AGE WE EXPECT  across the multiple sporting events and initiatives unfolding across the world these days, there is one consistent thread. the world is getting ready to welcome a new set of champions. At the Australian open, in the winter olympics, in the U23 AFC, or the under 19 world cup of cricket a new bunch of athletes are taking centre-stage. A new crop of countries are producing the latest champions. A whole new sports culture is emerging from kids coming from mixed families. What is surprising is ... the reputation these kids come with.  The future is interesting because it looks different from the present. Countries often invest in future sports initiatives to avoid the mistakes of the past. investments are made, foreign coaches are sought, facilities are improved and diets are changed only to place an athlete on a podium.  Today development and training has followers. Even before these athletes start achieving, they develop huge f...

An u-23 football has bought more cheer to a nation than its biggest cultural festival. how can a game of football compare with a festival so deeply ingrained in culture. moments of victory in sport have god like characteristics and can quickly turn into an emotional upheaval. it transcends the player and the sport itself and begins to connect with primal & existential  motivations. the success of the sportsman becomes an achievement of a nation. the shared symbols of identity become remarkably stronger as an uniting force. something similar has happened in the last few days. the outpour of happiness has been unprecedented and the expression of happiness has been heart-warming. the simplicity of the expression of happiness is the most surprising element. it has shown, how the real world is still larger than the virtual world and when people come out in numbers they share a bigger cheer. the visuals of this victory are astounding rather than the victory itself.    ...

reviving sports a lot of internet and publishing ink has been spilt and spent on reviving sports for a new generation of audience. viewership and ticket sales for high profile events are dwindling and revenues and bleeding. will the offside rule save field hockey or the 21 point format save badminton. some experiments like the 20-20 format in cricket has worked but futsal has not been as widely popular as the creators imagined. just like the reinvention of comic heroes for a film audience, the revival of the sport depends on the new target it is trying to cater to. so if an association of polo is trying to save the sport, it must follow the narrative of a film and not the classical narrative of the sport. there is merit in understanding how darren aronofsky used artistic perfection as metaphor to create interest for a subject like ballet. perhaps sport people need to understand the pursuit story to appreciate the performance story. a larger context of content creation is prob...

The board room, borrows liberally from the playground. sport and battles have been the favorite guidebook for strategists because it facilitates a breakdown of the complexities into tangible options. but the reverse of this situation may not be true. strategy has not returned the favor to sport. the lack of real strategist in sport is an interesting omission, largely because sport finds it hard to create generals. in sport, the general is the coach.  but often coaches represent wisdom and technique not necessarily guile & trickery. often tactic is misunderstood for strategy.  A famous example is illustrated below by the brand 'beats'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWithLP0VlQ strategy is probably the weakest in team sports like football or cricket because it deals with a collective bunch of skills than individual mastery. maybe it is time to break team sports into individual sport and have them execute specific strategies to make sport more interesting. https://w...

Do good ideas sell themselves or does our jobs require us to save them.  Every great idea is born to die unless it is saved from the clutches of death.   I tend to believe in the latter.  Not because the world needs a savior but the mental model of experience is to test everything against the sprawling width and breadth of time.     The greatest quest for people in the creation business is to enhance the ability to stand up and defend the idea on paper before it takes any shape or form.  Hence all original ideas sit on the cusp of RISK & PERSUASION. The nubile idea needs to be guarded with reason and evidence to persuade the non-believers. So before we kill the doodle, try to scribble the armor around it.  History, Reason, Proof, Interest, Current Value, shelf life, magic are all essentially the armor that can save the doodle.  ⥁⥀⥁⥀    

it is always better to tell people where we want to go. every brief hence needs to have a destination ... business, memorability, change whatever ... state it.  every story needs a villain, the one that cockblocks our intentions. take this guy head on, call him the barrier, the barrier we must overcome to attain the goal. who do we want to tell this amazing story to ... think if this stuff if relevant to this person, would he listen, would she care, would they remember. target whats the strategy - whats the choice you have made - why have you included this and why have you ignored the rest. this needs to precise and full of mischief. this is the weapon that you will be wielding. whats the brand point of view on this burning issue that needed a brief - this part is loaded with brand attitude, how it thinks, how it feels, whats its voice, chose its words carefully. this bit involves the softer stuff - personality, charisma, language and finally the words     ...

mapping future the befuddling question on mapping the future or predicting. especially when a set of peering eyes ask the questions ... so what happens next ? the point where anyone answering can only take a plunge and not expect to sink. yet there are so many guesses that are guessed with a hint of steel to make it sound like steel.